


A Two-Sided Mask

by PowerofFlowers



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Business AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-08 13:03:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5497973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PowerofFlowers/pseuds/PowerofFlowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People try their best every day, but sadly it doesn't always work out. There are always winners and losers in life. What defines what a winner and a loser is is up to that person. And what Joel Heyman wants from life is in that grey area when he begins to realize miracles aren't always on his side. He's just a business man, who has succumb to life's capitalistic lifestyle while trying his best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'll Buy You A Drink

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning: Alcohol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginnings don't always have to be extravagant. Yet, with free alcohol involved, it couldn't be that bad.

                  Lights strung through the building, setting a poetic atmosphere through the one story bar. Time was reaching to a late hour that could have barely been read by those who kept trying to keep their night alive. There only a few people left. A man trying to drink the struggles of adult hood lost count of how many shots he drank. A girl barely managing to cope with the echoes of her failures kept ordering another whiskey. They were too disappointed in the world and too sober to handle it by themselves. It was just another night in city. It was just another night for those who thought their worst enemy were themselves.

                “You’ve been here before.” It was the man who spoke first.

                “You would be too if you were me.” She replied.

                His brown eyes shifted from the empty glass up towards her. She wasn’t looking back, she just kept her eyes on the shelf behind the bartender.

                “What’re you looking at?” His spoke again.

                “I’m not sure.” Her voice was empty.

                There was a silence that began to linger through their conversation. The man wasn’t sure what to say next, so it was a relief when he saw her eyes move towards his direction.

                “But I know who I’m looking at now,” she smirked as the words left her mouth. “Sorry, I get a bit … spacey when I drink too much.”

                He chuckled to himself, not actually expecting any of those words to come out of her mouth. It was nice not have to make small talk with another person who barely wanted to hold it. The man had been there for five nights straight since coming into this new destination. His job called him into the big city of New York to look over a few things and to meet with some very important people for a merge. Then two of those nights he decided to unwind in the bar he noticed her.

                “I’m Joel, by the way.” He stuck his hand out.

                “You can call me Y/N.” She accepted his handshake. She had noticed him sitting at the bar too. The first time was with her friends. They were taking her out to cheer her up over failing that midterm. There might have been a few shots clouding her vision when her eyes latched onto his disheveled hair and baggy University of Texas sweatshirt. Then in a split second after eyeing him, his eyes moved towards her. A blush drowned her pale complexion, and her friends noticed right away. Their own slurred words tried to figure out who she was looking at, but she just shrugged them off.

                “You were here before, right? I think I’ve seen you before.” It was a stupid question, with an answer that he already knew.

                “Oh yeah, I don’t really come that often. I just… This night seemed pretty alright.” The pause helped her deviate from the truth. She wasn’t drunk enough to spill out every detail of the truth.

                “Stressful day at work, huh? I’ve been having a few too many days like that myself.” He took another sip, trying not to go into too much detail of his personal life.

                “Work,” she whispered to herself. Her eyes deviated back to the shot glasses laid out in front of her. Her presence began to grow distant.

                “Oh sorry, you probably came here to forget about work.” His chuckled again, trying not to sound too nervous. “Let me buy you some shots.”


	2. The Next Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up usually sucks when it's early, but when it's in a new place it sucks even more.

The sheets felt different, thinner than her usual huge comforter. This bed didn’t hold her like the one she had at her apartment. Her hands were able to stretch further across the mattress than before. The fragrance of cigarettes and bacon surrounded her. She was sure it would only be of alcohol that the man had bought for her. It was the first time someone offered and the first time she actually made small talk. Yet, after that she couldn’t really piece together what had happened. 

Soon, her eyes started to flicker open to an unfamiliar window with an unfamiliar setting. The buildings weren’t placed correctly, it was like someone had picked them up and set them down in different places. Her eyes shifted through her surroundings. There were books scattered around the floor, a desk with important papers, and an actual bathroom connected to the room. The walls were painted in white and the floor was carpeted.

“Oh fuck,” she whispered to herself. 

She had seen it in the movies and read it in the books, but she never even thought it could happen to her. Having sex was one thing, but having sex with a complete stranger and then waking up in their apartment was another thing. And this wasn’t just a regular apartment, it looked too expensive for her to even be in. She ran her fingers through her bed head and tried to retrace her steps of what happened last night.

Shots.  
Talking.  
Laughing.  
More shots.  
Kissing.  
Leaving.  
More kissing.   
New building.  
Hands.

She could barely remember all of the details, it was just a giant blur that sort of happened. This man who she wanted to kiss from the first time she saw him, couldn’t even remember what his lips felt like. Was he even good? She couldn’t remember. What a night, too bad every recollection of it had disappeared from her memory.

Remembering wasn’t the most important thing on her mind, getting out of there was. She reached out to grab her clothes that were sprawled among the books on the floor. Then she noticed something, there was a piece of paper sticking out of one of the books. At the corner of the paper there was a logo that looked sort of familiar. Yet, she knew she didn’t have time to try to solve that curiosity. She rushed to get her clothes on, and made sure she had her keys and cellphone. Then she took a deep breath in to prepare herself for any kind of conversation that might have been thrown her way. 

“I can do this.”

Pushing the door open, she immediately made eye contact with the man she was with last night. His name was Joel, she remembered that. She remembered his broad build, and how warm he felt in the bed last night. No, she thought to herself, get out of there you idiot.

“Hey.” Oh no that smile was there again. Chills shocked her nerves, it was as if someone was stepping on her grave. 

“Hey sorry, I totally forgot I have a thing in like twenty minutes, so I’m just going to head out.” Her feet hurried over towards the door that was right behind him. By the time she ended her sentence her hand already grasped the door handle. With another second passing by, she was already out of the door. She didn’t wait for his response, she just let him know, and headed out.

Relief followed along as she was making her way to the elevator. Once the elevator came, she didn’t miss a beat and just pushed the ground floor button. He didn’t come after her, and she didn’t look back for him. This was a mistake to her, she didn’t want to have to deal with any consequence that could have been made from that night. Once she left the building, her body start to relax. 

It was a new day, she kept reminding herself. It was a new day, she kept thinking to herself as she waved down a taxi. It was going to be okay, she thought to herself as she took the stairs to her apartment in the third floor.

“I’ll be alright,” she whispered to herself as she unlocked the door.

“So how was last night?” A taunting voice broke her concentration. Looking up, she noticed the devious smile spread across her roommate’s face. 

“Oh god Barbara, I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean I never did anything like that before. Like holy fucking shit, am I insane?” Her words unwound what she actually felt in her mind.

“Oh was he… defective?” 

“Hell if I remember, I can barely remember what even happened.”

“Well I mean I guess that’s pretty bad too, what’s the point of having sex if you can’t remember how good it feels?” Barbara shrugged her shoulders as she continued to make herself a sandwich. 

“Please, that’s the last thing on my mind,” she sighed as she fell back onto her couch. “But god, I saw that smile again this morning and I think my body turned into jelly.”

“Heh, that’s cute, Scar.” Scar was the nickname that Barbara and basically everyone else gave her after seeing the scar that her bangs hid.

“No it’s not! It makes me want to go back to that apartment and take his stupid face and kiss it. Fuck.” 

“Sounds like someone has a crush, too bad you don’t know anything about him.” Barbara had a good point. Anything he actually told her, she couldn’t remember a single thing. Guilt started to poke at her, hoping that he didn’t remember anything either. 

Out of nowhere, Scar’s phone start to ring. She reached into her jacket pocket and held it above her face. The number wasn’t from her contact, but she picked it up anyway.

“Hello?” Her tired voice asked.

“Hey, is this Y/N? You left your ID here, actually you left both of them here. It’s Joel by the way, if you didn’t pick that up.” His voice sounded confused. Then for a second she froze, like time had to stop you. She realized that she didn’t just leave her driver’s license there, but also her fake one that she used last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that there isn't much Joel in this chapter, but there'll be more to come.


	3. Liar Liar, Heart on Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does the truth really bring people together?

Minutes just kept passing, but it felt like seconds. Soon an hour arrived and Scar was still pacing outside of his building. All she had to do was ring in, get both IDs back, and then leave. All she had to do was leave and nothing had to happen. There didn’t have to be any conversation, just get the IDs back. But then she started to think, she didn’t have to get them back. She just had to order a new fake and then just have to get a new state ID when she got back home. Of course, she wasn’t scheduled to go back home until winter break, which was a pretty long wait. 

“Hey, are you okay?” A voice broke from her rambling thoughts. When she looked up she noticed a man with a raspy voice and tattoos all over the place. 

“Yes.” Her eyes widened while her mouth let out that small squeak. “I just…,” she cleared her voice. “I just came to visit Mr. Heyman.” That was his last name, right? She couldn’t be too sure and she was wondering why she even called him that. He was just a person, no need to make him sound too important to her. 

“Joel? Oh man, this should be interesting. Here, let me let you in. I’ll show you where he is.” He didn’t let her refuse or even get a word in. There was just a smile that he couldn’t wipe off of his face. It was kind of scary how enthused he became after she mentioned Joel’s name. “I’m Geoff, by the way.”

“Y/N…” 

“Nice to meet you.” Geoff extended his hand back. She took it, matching his enthused smile with a nervous one. 

In the elevator, she couldn’t help, but notice that he still had that smile. Yet, she was grateful that he didn’t ask any questions or tried to talk to her; he seemed preoccupied in his own mind. Three floors later, she followed him out of the elevator and down the familiar hallway. There were those doors, those paintings, and that under watered plant. Then instead of a knock, she heard a click. He had a key. 

Oh no.

Oh fuck.

“Honey, I’m home and I brought you a lovely present,” Geoff’s daunting tone rang through the room. The awkward girl decided to stay back, outside of the door way. She hoped that he wasn’t home, maybe out to a business meeting or doing taxes. 

“Geoff, please. I’m really not feel-,” that stupid voice cut off. 

“Oh you’ll be feeling alright.” Geoff grabbed the girl’s wrist and pulled her in. 

“Hey, Y/N.” He lifted his hands up to his hips. 

“Hey, Joel.” She just stood there. 

A few seconds passed.

Then a few minutes passed.

Geoff didn’t lose his smile. Joel didn’t say a word. And Scar just stood there. There just had to be something someone could have said to make it less awkward. Yet, there they were all gathered in one room with nothing to say. 

“Well, as much as I love this scene here, I really do, I’m going to head out,” Geoff broke the silence, but the tension was still intact. It even grew more when the door slammed behind him. The sound of the slam echoed, while both of them tried to catch their breaths.

It was going to be okay. She just kept trying to think that over and over again in her head. Scar tried her best to convince herself to breath. 

“So, you’re 20,” he started. Those were not the words she wanted to hear. She had no idea how to start this, but it wasn’t going to be that way. “I’m old. I’m very old,” he emphasized the word ‘old’. He didn’t look old, at least not to her.

“Well, that’s probably true, but I’m not here for that. I’m here for my IDs.” She was just going to keep it short and sweet. There was no reason for her to stare into his deep dark eyes or think about how his arms probably fit well around her waist. There was no time for that. 

“Heh, is that really it?” He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. Scar dared to look up, and saw him staring at her. Disappointment draped across his face, he wasn’t even trying to hide it. “Not even a ‘how’re you doing’? And I thought I was bad at this.”

“At least I didn’t start with ‘so you’re 20’, it’s not like I didn’t know that already. I’m twenty years old and you’ll just have to deal with that.” Maybe it was the lack of sleep that had her a bit heated, or maybe it was because she thought he’d say how he wanted her to stay. Her words came out stronger than she wanted it to. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep.

“I’m not going to deal with it, though. You’re a kid and I don’t waste my time on kids who lie.” Joel growled. Scar quickly looked down, as if she really was a child being scolded by an adult. He started walking towards her with anger seething in his eyes. “You got that?” His fingers slipped under her chin and yanked it up towards him. Those eyes, they were different than from last night. 

“Fuck you,” she slapped his hand away. “I’m not a kid. I’m a fucking adult, you got that? So you’re not going to look down at me like I’m five.” Her finger jabbed him in the chest. Still looking up at him, she couldn’t show any sign of fear or doubt. 

“You might as well be.” He started inching closer, narrowing his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows. “You’re all the fucking same.” Then he moved back towards the counter and opened a drawer. Next thing the girl knew was both of her IDs being thrown to her feet. “I gave you your stupid shit. Now get out.”


	4. Daughter of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Cheetos and TLC would've been better than going out.

Two Weeks Later

“Yes dad I’m doing fine, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Are you sure? Are you really really sure? I can always send one of my employees to drive you wherever you want.” 

“No need to send some stuffy old guy in a suit to pick me up just so I can have awkward small talk with them while they drive me around.”

“Okay… but the offer is always on the table.”

“Thanks, but really I’m fine.”

“Okay… Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Scar sighed as she hung up the phone. She never recalled her father being this overbearing in the beginning of her adventure in college. It was already her third year and she hoped that her dad would have some faith in her. She guessed after some creepy Uber driver kidnapped girls all over the tristate area, her dad lost faith in the system.

Whatever, the guy was caught and Uber was back to being a life saver.

Scar plopped down onto the couch and started to flip through channels. There was never anything good on Saturday nights beside Disney movie marathons and re-runs of Sex Sent Me to the ER. Suddenly, before she could flip to TLC, both Lindsay and Barbara burst through the door with huge grins plastered to their faces. 

“Guess where we’re going tonight?” Barbara started off. 

“Hopefully somewhere warm?”

“No, you fucker! There’s a gala tonight, and guess who scored these tickets off her boss?” Lindsay chimed in.

“A gala? Sounds kind of fancy, don’t you think? I already ate like two bags of Cheetos.” Scar’s stomach could handle it, but her nerves couldn’t handle what this event might’ve been.

“Oh come on, it’s an excuse to look like a million dollars! We can binge TLC and eat our stomachs away any other night,” Barbara started bring out her puppy dog face.  
With a sigh and click of the off bottom, Scar nodded her head yes. Even though she was nervous about the whole thing, she kind of felt excited. Dressing up was something the three roommates loved to do, but they could never figure out where to go. There were always college parties, but those were more of a miniskirt and a crop top attire. 

The three girls went through their closets to look for something that could be considered formal. Barbara kept shuffling through her clothes, trying to figure out which dress she wanted to pick from. Lindsay was puzzling through her t-shirts, jeans, and marvel dresses. Scar had formal wear packed away already, for her father’s business dinners. Yet, they all looked very stuffy, like she was a thirty year old trying to get that promotion. 

After another hour passing by, the girls were ready. Barbara had put her hair up with two curls shaping her face and wore a slim white dress with pink flowers traveling down the side. Lindsay decided to keep her hair down, while wearing a simple black dress with lace sleeves. Lastly, Scar decided to lightly curl her hair and wore a short white dress with blue detailing that looked made it look like porcelain. 

“Damn we’re fucking hot,” Lindsay cheered as everyone was ready to leave.  
“Yeah, I’d fuck us,” Barbara agreed.  
“We’re definitely 9s,” Scar chuckled.  
“Oh yeah! Above average, fuck yes,” Lindsay cheered again. “But we should be going, can’t make the boss look bad.”

Scar called the Uber and they picked them up in a few short minutes. During the ride there, the three of them were bubbly and eager to get there. It wasn’t just going to be fancy, it was going to be super-duper fucking fancy. There’d be old people who knew what they were doing in life and rich people who didn’t need to worry about that. The lack of frat guys and sweaty co-eds grinding on each other would be a nice change from their usually scheduled weekends. 

When they finally arrived, it was kind of like a fairy tale. The carriages (cars) were pulling up with royalty (business people) coming out. Everyone looked beautiful with designer dresses and suits laughing and smiling. For a second Scar couldn’t tell if she was even awake, but when she started getting closer she could feel her nerves grow. There were so many people, and when the three girls walked in people had turned to look at them. 

Scar’s breathing started to grow heavier. Her mind shut down and her heart sped up. She could feel her fingers twitch as she tried to catch her breath. Her stomach kept sinking lower and lower until it went through the floor. There were so many people looking down on her, she could feel herself being surrounded.

“We’re here, don’t worry,” Lindsay whispered as she rested her hand on top of Scar’s shoulder. “You look fucking incredible.”

Scar nodded with a small smile, and then the three girls decided to venture in closer to what this party was going to be like. The venue was spectacular for the huge amount of people that had shown up. It was a ballroom with two staircases leading up to a balcony for those who wanted to get more air. The waiters and waitresses were dressed in bright colored vests and pants so that the guests could find them easily. The building had columns that looked like marble from old Renaissance paintings. 

The staff was passing out champagne and no one checked ID. The three girls took advantage of this quickly. Yet, after three glasses Scar was starting to feel woozy. She knew that she was a light weight, but the Cheetos were coming to take their revenge. Rushing into an unknown hallway, Scar opened the door to a closet and puked in there. Luckily that part of the building wasn’t lit enough for anyone to notice her. She wiped the rest from her lips and threw a mint into her mouth. Then that’s when she realized that she ditched Barbara and Lindsay in an unknown building, in an unknown hallway. 

“Oh you gotta being fucking with me right now,” the lost girl sighed out loud. Still tipsy, she tried to walk in the direction she thought she came from. Her balance sucked in the first place, but heels and alcohol turned this into a whole new level of difficulty. “Oh shit!”

Scar thought she had fallen down, but when she didn’t feel the hard slap of the floor, she opened her eyes. She couldn’t really make out the face, but someone had caught her. Their arms were warm around her body and their grip was strong. There was a slight scent of whiskey and cologne lingering around them. It was comfortable. 

“Whoa whoa, are you good?” A familiar voice chimed in. His voice was kind of scratchy, more than usual.

“Peachy,” she retorted with sarcasm. “Wait… I know you.” The girl squinted her eyes and looked closer at the face. That mustache was unmistakable. “You’re the dude that let me in!”

“I prefer Geoff, but whatever floats your boat, kid,” the older man chuckled.

“Sorry about this, guess I had too much to drink,” Scar apologized as she started to adjust herself back to normal.

“Heh, well I guessed. You’re going to the wrong way. The party is the other way,” Geoff put his arm around her shoulder and pointed to the end of the hallway she needed to go. 

“Oh thanks!” Scar gave a thumbs up as Geoff started to lead her back. “I never pegged you for a stuffy business man.”

“Yeah me either, but hey at least my company doesn’t mind the shit ton of tattoos that I have, so we’re all good.” Geoff kept her close, making sure she didn’t collapse. “Did you come with Joel? I haven’t seen him around, but I’ll reunite you two love birds.”

“Oh I… uh… We’re not…” It was hard to find the words that Scar wanted to say.

“You’re not troubling me at all!” It was kind of funny how this man couldn’t sense the tone that Scar wanted to set. She couldn’t help but chuckle. 

When the two entered the party there was something wrong. Scar’s eyes flickered up, down, and all around the ballroom. This was different. This wasn’t where she was before. The room captured the fairy tale aura, but everyone was wearing masks. Panic struck through her nerves and her breathing grew heavier. 

“Whoa, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” Geoff looked towards her. 

“This isn’t-… Wh-Where am…” Her brain was running too fast for her to complete a sentence. Her eyes just kept dashing back and forth trying to figure out where she was. She could feel her heart ready to escape out of her chest and her tears trying to peek out of her eyes.

“Holy shit, do you need some water?” The man couldn’t figure out what was wrong. His hand gently pushed her head to face him. Her breathing touched his face and they were eyes were locked onto each other. “I am here. You know me, I am here. You are safe. Do not worry,” he whispered.

She kept nodding, agreeing with what he was saying. Being taken into a different scenery so quickly caused her mind to panic. She felt lost and sick, but he was right. Even though they were barely acquaintances, she knew him. She knew him. 

Her breathing started to steady a bit. She was trying to snap herself out of it. 

“(Y/N)? What are you doing here?” It was like clockwork of misfortune as someone very familiar approached them.

“Dad?”


	5. ahem

“Whaaaat,” Geoff prolonged his ‘what’ as his eyes switched between the girl and her father. This was not her plan for the night, all she wanted was to be super classy with her roommates.

“What are you doing here?” Her father asked her.

“I came with my roommates,” was all she managed to say.

Then before her father could get another word in, they called him to the stage to make a speech. He directed a stern look towards her before heading up on to the stage where people had cheered for him. Scar let out a sigh that she held in for what felt like centuries as he started to make his speech. She looked back up to Geoff who raised an eyebrow towards her. She offered a small equally confused smile.

“Come on let’s get you back to your roommates,” Geoff ushered her away, back into the hallway. She was thankful Geoff didn’t ask any questions or bring up Joel again. It had been two weeks and she hadn’t thought of him more than twice a day. To her that felt like an improvement.

Walking down the dark hallway was dizzying even after throwing up all of those Cheetos. Her arms were wrapped around Geoff, holding onto dear life. She stumbled around, but Geoff was able to pilot her to a safe direction. When they arrived back at the other more familiar party, she couldn’t see her roommates. It also didn’t help that there was a whole sea of people mingling. Everyone was cheering and laughing, having a good time, enjoying the event. No one was looking at her slumped over on a strange man with an amazing mustache. A calm feeling rushed over her as she noted this to herself.

“You don’t see them do you?” Geoff asked as he assessed the crowd.

“Not at all,” she chuckled. “Is it okay if we sit outside for a bit? I need some air.”

“No problem, kiddo. Want me to drive you back?”

Before she could get out an answer someone was calling Geoff from the way that they came. Both turned towards the voice calling out and Scar’s heart dropped into her stomach. He was unmistakable, that messy dark brown hair and broad shoulders looked the same as the last time she saw him. Joel was wearing a nice pressed black suit with a light blue tie, it was strange to see him so formal. She could tell that he was concerned by the way his brows furrowed and his eyes tried not to stay too close to her. 

“What is she doing here?” He addressed Geoff, acting like she weren’t even there.

“She’s here for the other event and got lost,” Geoff started to explain. “She’s pretty sick, so I’m going to take her back to her home.”

There was a pause.

“Boss man’s looking for you,” Joel paused again. “I’ll take her back.”

“I can take care of myself!” She blurted out, reacting to the liquid courage.

Scar gently pushed herself away from Geoff and started to head out of the door. Even though there were people in her way, she decided that wasn’t going to stop her. She was on a mission to feel like a damsel in distress, especially to a man that disrespected her. In the background, she could hear her name being called out to come back, but she didn’t care. When she reached the cold breeze on the outside she took in a deep breath. Her finger tips pressed down against the concrete steps to help balance herself. She took a seat and wished that she had another drink. 

Her body started to give into the cold as she began to shiver and wrap her arms around herself. She could see the puffs of breath escape her mouth and disappear into the sky. A small number of tears started to form around her eyes and drip down her cheeks. Then suddenly she felt warm fabric wrap around her shoulders. When she looked up she saw doubt and worry in those tired eyes. Her mouth parted for a second to speak, but nothing came out.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke first. He took the seat next to her. “I just didn’t want to believe that you’re twenty years younger than me.”

“I’m sorry too,” was all that she could say as her voice shook from the cold. There was a moment where they were both looking at each other in silence. Yet it wasn’t awkward and the both could see what the other wanted to say. Then they leaned into each other, Joel’s fingers gliding across her face as his lips touched hers. 

It was a weird satisfaction, the taste of someone that she wanted to keep close but had been pushed away by just two weeks ago. More tears slid down her face onto his warm finger tips, but he didn’t stop. The kiss grew more passionate and he could taste her hunger. His fingers traveled to her hair, tangling them in her soft locks. 

“Ahem,” someone coughed as they were confessing their feelings through the kiss. When they pulled away they noticed that a familiar man was standing over both. Anger swelled in eyes as he witnessed his employee and daughter caught in an passionate kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for such a late update! school and traveling have really taken me out of my zone, but hopefully i'll be updating more often


	6. fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's always a fallout after the war.

“Dad!” She shot up, staring her dad straight in the eyes with her cheeks flushed crimson. Joel on the other hand slowly rose, embarrassed and unable to find any words. “I can-.”

“Don’t say a word,” he interrupted her before she could explain anything. “You’re coming with me.” Her father grabbed her arm and started to drag her away from the building and away from Joel. There was so much emotion running through her mind as her dad tried to get her away as far as possible. The comfort of his lips fought against the pit that was being dug in her stomach. A black car pulled up as they reached the end of the steps. 

“Get in. We’ll talk about this later,” he said, trying to hold back his temper. She followed her dad’s instruction and got in without saying another word.   
On the way back, buildings towered over her and lights were blinding. It was a familiar route, the one they took there, but this feeling wasn’t. Even though her father was probably more furious than she could imagine, her mind wasn’t focused on that. Even though it’s been two weeks since he blew her off, but she didn’t care. She could feel that kiss tingling on her lips and his touch still grazed on her face. 

When she arrived back at her apartment, she noticed that her roommates weren’t back yet and she hadn’t checked her phone since she left. Pulling it from her purse, she realized that she seven missed calls from both Lindsay and Barbara and several text messages from them. Then there was one she noticed that was the most recent, a missed call and voicemail from Joel.

She texted the group chat with her roommates that she got home and she got home safe. In her current state she had two options, either go to bed or listen to this voicemail and stay up all night thinking about Joel. As much as she loved the idea of passing out and sleeping away the rest of her life, she was a sucker to hear his voice. 

“Hey … It’s me, but you probably knew that because of caller ID and everything, because technology is a thing … So uh… I’m sorry about tonight, seems like I’m doing a lot of apologizing this evening. It seems like nothing is going … quite right. I just hope I’m not overstepping my bounds by calling you after your dad dragged you away, but I can’t stop thinking about you. And I think that might be dangerous, apparently being the boss’ daughter. Wow, I’m so dumb…”

The voicemail ended there, and that didn’t help. She groaned as she wiped her makeup off with a wipe and flopped onto her bed. Before she could pass out and hide away forever she felt her phone buzzing. When she glanced at it she noticed it was a number she didn’t actually have. 

“Hello?” She answered.

“Hey kid, I heard something happened tonight. I mean my roommate and the boss’s daughter, wow did I just enter into some soap-opera shit. Oh it’s Geoff by the way. I just called to check up on you.”

“Oh I’m fine, thanks for checking up on me, I know our latest encounter wasn’t that clean. Wait, how did you get my number?”

“Ah, I took it from Joel’s phone when he wasn’t looking, guy’s got no password, what an idiot.”

“Huh, that doesn’t seem very practical… How is Joel anyway?”

“You got the voicemail didn’t you? I was driving when he called.”

“Yeah… It didn’t sound very good. I’m going to get to bed, thanks for checking up on me.”

“Goodnight kiddo.”

After hanging up with Geoff she buried her face into a pillow and groaned. This was not what she had in mind when she saw him from across the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm literally the worst, because it's taken me literally over a year so my bad! I'm going to update hopefully more recently! Don't hold me to that though, because I am very forgetful.


	7. Take Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's no place like home, especially when you're trying to avoid a battlefield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So I updated and it hasn't been a whole year so yay for that! Btw, I am also changing perspectives with my writing and writing in second person. Hope the change isn't so weird, I just found myself writing this way for some reason.  
> Happy reading!

“So, what exactly happened last night?”

“Honestly, I wish I knew.”

“Okay, no need to be so edgy.”

“This sucks.”

“You suck.”

You and Barbara looked at each other. Barbara gulped down the rest of her water, while you took a swig of your ginger ale. Last night really left a mark on you, emotional and physical. Even though it wasn’t your worst hangover, but that kiss last night left your heart heavier than it had felt in a while. So much happened in the span of one night.

You got the guy.

Then your dad say you kissing said guy.

And then you might’ve lost the guy again.

Everything happening, it was happening at a pace that you weren’t comfortable with. You liked routine. You liked knowing what was going to happen next, but so far neither your father nor Joel had called you since.  Even though it was only early afternoon, you couldn’t help but feel the tension weighing on your shoulder.

Then the door of the third roommate creaked open. You expected to see Lindsay’s messy red hair pop out, but instead you say someone else. It was curly brown hair wearing only boxers and a t-shirt that stopped and stared at the both of you as he realized that there were people in the kitchen.

“Wow, this is totally awkward,” was the first thing to come out of his mouth.

_Damn it, Lindsay._

“At least we know you aren’t running away,” Barbara referenced the boy’s lack of clothing.

“What? In these?” He pointed to his boxers. “These are all the rage with the kids now a days.”

“Whatever you say,” Barbara chuckled and headed back into her room.

“So is water a thing here or was I actually brought back to be a sacrifice?”

“Oh yeah, we got a filter in the fridge,” you pointed to the fridge behind you.

“Thanks, I’m Michael by the way.”

“(Y/N),” you responded with a small smile.

“Wait a second …” He paused and looked at you for a second. “Do you know Joel?”

_Oh you have to be kidding me._

“Yeah,” you responded quietly. Then you realized how Lindsay probably met this guy. The masquerade was sponsored by your father’s company, meaning most of the people there worked for his company.

“Oh boy, I can’t wait to text the group about this,” he chuckled as he headed back to his room with a cup of water.

“Amazing,” Barbara chuckled. “If only I could write your life.”

“I would rather take this one thank you.”

For the rest of the day you hid in your room watching the Investigation Discovery channel, hoping that neither Michael nor Lindsay would knock on your door. You decided to find comfort in the poor recreations and predictable endings. Somehow you were able to lose yourself for a few hours watching these shows. They were definitely entertaining and passed the time and help you forget about the fact that the guy that you’re falling for is quickly falling out of reach.

Then it came up, one of the guys in show had his name. They didn’t look, talk, walk, or sound similar, but he had his name. They said his name and your stupid ears perked up and you couldn’t help but feel your heart drop down to your stomach. Your hand instinctively turned off the TV and you covered your face with a pillow.

Nothing came out. There wasn’t a scream or tears. It was just nothing.

You wondered for a moment, how this could have happened. How this one night stand created your soul to yearn for him in the tiniest moments. You knew it was infatuation. You knew you were just romanticizing and idealizing him because the way his fingers touched your skin. They slid so easily, maybe it was because you moisturized regularly, but his fingertips felt so natural.  They almost felt as good as those lips as they traveled further down.

_Fuck it._

You opened the door to your room violently to try and forget about him. Yet, there in the living room were Lindsay and Michael laughing about something. Their eyes raced towards you as you decided to shove the door out of your way.

“Oh it’s you,” Michael said in a deadpan voice.

“Yeah it’s me,” you awkwardly said as you shuffled towards the fridge. You poured yourself a cup of water, facing the fridge at all times.

“Geoff wants to know if you texted Joel yet,” his voice felt like a stab. You weren’t used to someone being so blunt.

“Uh… no,” your voice squeaked.

Then your phone buzzed in your pocket. When you pulled it out, you rolled your eyes. It was a text message from Geoff.

**Text him, you baby.**

You put it back in your pocket and hid back in your room. Then your phone buzzed again.

**You have your messages on read, I can see that you’re seeing these messages.**

**He doesn’t want to talk to me …**

**Oh I’ll make him talk to you.**

Just a few minutes later you felt your phone constantly vibrating in your hand as you were staring at it the whole time, wondering what Geoff meant. Then you realized what Geoff meant, as you realized the name on the phone was Joel. Your hand quickly accepted the call before you could think of anything to say. There was a pause.

“I’m sorry,” you blurted out. It’s all you could have mustered up. Given everything that had happened in the past 24 hours, it was the only thing you could think of to say.

“Your dad … “ Your nails started to dig into your palm. “No, I shouldn’t talk about that. I should say something witty or comforting, but I’m not good at that kind of shit.”

“This is so weird,” you whispered.

“Yeah, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that. Sorry, somehow Geoff talked me into this. This is dumb, I shouldn’t be…”

“No .. it’s okay.” You interrupted him.

“Man I fucking hope so … You know, your dad called this morning and left me a pretty nasty voicemail. Luckily I still have my job, but there’s one condition … I can’t talk to you anymore.”

“Well you’re obviously not doing a good job with that.”

“Yeah, after last night … I couldn’t stop thinking about you, especially with that kiss.”

That kiss … it was what brought you back after he threw you away the first time. He threw you away. He tossed you out of his apartment after finding your fake ID. Then your brain started to roll. How much did you even know of him? It seemed like Geoff took care of you more than him. It seemed like it was just a one night stand that you were dragged further into, because he came back and kissed you.

“I don’t think we should talk anymore.” Were the last words you last before hanging up the phone.


End file.
